A reader recently pointed me to some "rules for a happier life" that various folks have posted in various forms. Here's my take on those rules as they apply to the workplace:

一位读者近来向我指出了一些不同人以不同方式发表的一些“让生活更幸福的守则”。下面是我整理的关于工作上面的守则：

1. Don't compare yourself to others.

1.不要把自己和别人比较。

Everybody, and I mean everybody, starts out in a different place and is headed on their own journey. You have NO idea where someone else's journey might lead them, so drawing comparisons is a complete waste of time.

每个人，我说的是每个人，出发的起点都不同，也都朝着不同的方向努力。你不知道其他人的旅程会将他们带到何处，所以盲目比较是在浪费时间。

2. Never obsess over things you cannot control.

2.不要纠结在那些你无法掌握的事情上。

While it's often important to know about other things--like the economy, the markets that you sell to, the actions that others might take, your focus should remain on what you actually control, which is 1) your own thoughts and 2) your own actions.

但是知道点其他事情是很重要的——比如经济、你面向的市场、别人可能采取的行动，你的注意力应该集中在你真正掌握的事情上，也就是说：1）你自己的想法，2）你自己的行动。

3. Know and keep your personal limits and boundaries.

3.知道并且保持你自己的界限。

While your job might sometimes seem like the most important thing in your world, you're killing a part of yourself if you let work situations push you into places that violate your privacy and your integrity.

你的工作可能有时看起来在你的世界里无比重要，但是如果你让工作把你推到了一个破坏你的隐私和诚实品质的境地，那你就是在谋杀自己的一部分。

4. Don't over commit yourself or your team.

4.不要对自己或团队做过度的承诺。

It's great to be enthusiastic and willing to go the "extra mile," but making promises that you (or your team) can't reasonably keep is simply a way to create failure and disappointment.

激情澎湃，想要走得更远是好事，但是给你自己（或者你的团队）许下过高的承诺却很容易导致失败和失望。

5. Remember you get the same amount of time every day as everyone else.

5.牢记你每天的时间和别人是一样的。

You may feel you're short on time and that you need more of it, but the simple truth is that when the day started, you got your fair share: 24 hours. Nobody got any more than you did, so stop complaining.

你也许觉得自己的时间不够，需要更多时间，但是事实却很简单：当开始，你得到的是公平的一份：24小时。没人比你得到的更多，所以别再抱怨了。

6. Don't take yourself so seriously; nobody else does.

6.别太把自己当回事；因为根本没人把你当回事。

The ability to laugh at your foibles not only makes you happier as a person, it makes you more powerful, more influential and more attractive to others. If you can't laugh at yourself, everyone else will be laughing behind your back.

自嘲自己的怪癖不仅会让你成为一个更幸福的人，而且使你更有力量，更有影响力，也更有魅力。如果你不能自嘲，每个人都会在背后嘲笑你。

7. Daydream more rather than less.

7.白日梦宁多勿少。

The idea that daydreaming and working are mutually exclusive belongs back in the 20th century. It's when you let your thoughts wander that you're more likely to have the insights that will make you both unique and more competitive.

做白日梦和工作之间互相促进这一说法要追溯到20世纪。当你让思想自由驰骋时，你更容易获得独特，有竞争力的见解。

8. Don't bother with hate; it's not worth the effort.

8.别花力气讨厌这个，讨厌那个；不值得。

Hate is an emotional parasite that eats away at your energy and health. If something is wrong with the world and you can change it, take action. If you can't take action, you're better off to forgive and forget.

讨厌是一种侵噬你能量和健康的寄生虫。如果这个世界有什么不对的地方，你又可以改变它，那就采取行动。如果你不能采取行动，你远离它，原谅它，忘记它。

9. Make peace with your past lest it create your future.

9.和你的过去和解以免影响到你的未来。

Focusing on past mistakes or wrongs inflicted on you is exactly like driving a car while looking in the rear view mirror. You'll keep heading in the same direction until you collide with something solid.

专注于你过去的错误就像是看着后照镜开车。你会一直朝着一个方向行进，直到你发现自己撞上了什么东西。

10. Don't try to "win" every argument.

10.别指望能赢得所有争论。

Some battles aren't worth fighting, and many people are easier to handle when they think they've won the argument. What's important isn't "winning," but what you, and the other people involved, plan to do next.

有些争论不值得争吵，许多人认为自己赢得了争论会更容易掌控大局。重要的不是“赢”，而是你和其他人接下来打算做什么。

11. Remember that nobody is in charge of your happiness except you.

11.记得除了你自己之外，没人对你的幸福负责。

While some work environments are inherently difficult, if you're consistently miserable it's your fault.

虽然一些工作环境的确很困难，但如果你一直失败，那就是你的错。

12. Smile and laugh more frequently.

12.经常微笑和大笑。

Contrary to popular belief, smiling and laughter are not the RESULT of being happy; they're part of a cycle that both creates and reinforces happiness. Find reasons to smile. Never, ever suppress a laugh.

和传统观念相反，微笑和大笑并不是快乐的表现，而是创造和增加幸福的环节之一。找到微笑的理由。永远不要抑制大笑。

13. Don't waste precious energy on malice and gossip.

13.不要把宝贵的精力花在怨恨和八卦上。

Before you tell a story about anybody else, or listen to such a story, ask yourself four questions: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it kind? 3) Is it necessary? and 4) Would I want somebody telling a similar story about me?

在你告诉别人或者听别人说一件事情之前，问问你自己：1）这是真的吗？2）是善意的吗？3）是必要的吗？4）我会希望别人讲一个关于我的这样的事情吗？

14. Don't worry what others think about you; it's none of your business.

14.别担心别人怎么想你；这不关你的事。

You can't mind read and you don't have everyone else wired into a lie detector. Truly, you really have NO IDEA what anyone is REALLY thinking about you. It's a total waste of time and energy to try.

你不会读心术，你也不能让别人戴上测谎仪。真的，你真的不知道别人究竟如何想你。这简直就是浪费时间和精力。

15. Remember that however bad (or good) a situation is, it will inevitably change.

15.记住，不论现在的境况如何坏（如何好），它都会改变。

The nature of the physical universe is change. Nothing remains the same; everything is, as the gurus say, transitory. Whether you're celebrating or mourning or something in between, this, too, will pass.

宇宙永恒不变的性质是改变。没有任何事一成不变；正如先哲们说的那样，所有事物都是暂时的。不管你正在庆祝或悲痛，还是两者之间，这些都会过去。

16. Trash everything in your work area that isn't useful or beautiful.

16.扔掉你工作地方所有没用或不好看的东西。

Think about it: you're going to spend about a third of your waking adult life at work. Why would you want to fill your work environment--and that part of your life--with objects that are useless and ugly?

想想看：你将花费醒着的三分之一时间工作。为什么要让没用又难看的东西充斥着你的工作环境和你生活的一部分呢？

17. Believe that the best is yet to come, no matter what.

17.相信的还没来，不管是什么。

When my grandmother was widowed in her 70s, she went back to college, traveled across Europe in youth hostels, and learned Japanese painting, among many other activities. The last thing she told me was: "You know, life begins at 90."

当我外婆70多岁成了寡妇时，她回到了学校，在青年旅社周游欧洲，学日本画，还有许多其他年轻人的活动。她时刻告诉我的是：“你知道吗，生命90岁的时候才开始。”